This weekend was the long anticipated trip to Paris organized by my school and well there is no one word to sum it all up in. I’d have to say it was a very mixed bag full of great fun but also horrible luck. Let me start off by saying that the French and me have never gotten along well. But I decided to give them a chance and see what all the fuss was about: i.e. go to Paris. Well I don’t know if you have all heard back in the states, but the French transit workers chose this past weekend to go on strike. And not an Italian strike (which lasts for a day), but an indefinite French strike of all major modes of transportation (that is still going on as I write this). So we were going to take a sleeper train Thursday night and arrive Friday morning, but transportation from Italy to Paris was “quasi nill!” Instead our amazing TAs (Carrie and Paola) did their best to fix it all. Mode of transportation: 15 hour bus ride with aprox 50 college kids. Um it was not very pleasant at all. I have just now regained feeling in my but and the crick in my neck is less painful. Oh how I wish I could have pulled what they guys of “Entourage” did and hopped onto Kanye’s private jet! Actually he was in Paris at the same time as us, so it wouldn’t have been totally unbelievable. His lyrics were the theme for the trip, “That don’t kill me, can only make me stronger.” Keep that in mind, or better yet just play the song while looking at the photos on facebook. Kanye dance party!
Well once we arrived in Paris on Friday morning, we checking into our hotel. Let’s just say it was not in a savory neighborhood, and there were some exposed wires. I’m sure my parents would have had a cow, mainly my dad, if they saw where we stayed. But they had great water pressure for the shower, so that’s a plus. Also we were dead tired so all I cared about was being able to shower and sleep. Once we relaxed a bit, it was off to the LOUVRE! Time to play some DaVinci Code! Well there were no deaths, but there was brisk walking and French people, so close enough. But my version was way more historically accurate. So Carrie took us around the Louvre and I was in art heaven. So many amazing things to see. I can’t recount everything I saw (and there are photos on facebook) but my favorites were the sculpture of “Cupid and Psyche” and the painting “The Raft of Medusa.” Everything was breath taking and I wish I had more time to look around (it’s like the British Museum, I could live there). Afterwards, Katie and me decided to walk around the city. Why walk you might ask? There are two answers: one we wanted to enjoy the night beauty of the city and two-the massive transit strike that only got worse as time passed. I’m glad that I went this past weekend, because all transportation had halted now and there have been cases of arson and violence on the tracks. Nice job on timing. Main point: we walked around Paris at night and it was beautiful! I felt very much like Andrea in “The Devil Wears Prada” when she is looking around Paris (and U2’s “In The City of Blinding Light” is playing in the background- as it was in my head). We hit up the Eiffel Tower and took some lovely shots, but there was no way I was going to climb that sucker. After we walked by the Lafayette windows (giant mall thingy) and saw their Christmas window displays. They so put the ones in the states to shame. Very cute animals singing and then expensive gowns, what more could you want? And as it got later, my body decided to spazz out. See my inner California self and its inability to handle weather after a certain temperature kicked in and I stated to freeze under my layers. It was -8C there, meaning it was 18F and that is below freezing!! Very cold but very pretty outside.
On Saturday we were supposed to go to Charts and Versailles but because of the transit strike we weren’t able to go. I was really bummed out about it, but then I realized I was in France and I would still have fun no matter what. Professor Hatfield, Carrie, and Paola altered that plans but we still ended up seeing some amazing sites. First we went to Sainte Chapelle, which is a church that was build in 1248 by Louis the 9th to house important relics. Basically it’s one of the most beautiful gothic churches with its stained glass windows. I absolutely love gothic architecture; it’s def a fave. After we went to Notre Dame, another great and more famous gothic church. It was begun in 1163 and took 170 years to finish being built. Not going to lie, I did have “The Bells of Notre Dame” from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame playing in my head while I was playing. I am a nerd, what can I say? The gargoyles were also very entertaining. Inside is just so vast and awe inspiring. A cool thing happened while we were inside; the organist was playing this famous song on the massive organ. After looking around a bit and just being silenced by the massiveness of the church, WE CLIMBED IT! We didn’t go all the way to the top because it was closed, but we still went pretty far up. Oh Medieval staircases, you and me have spent way too much time together. Despite the curving climb in the stairwell, the view made it all worth it. By the way, Paris has smog and it reminded me of LA. After marveling at the beauty of Norte Dame and the view of the Paris, and trying not to get freaked out when I looked down, it was lunchtime. Katie, Kate, and I went to a little restaurant and had delish onion soup (French onion soup, but since we were in France they just call it onion soup). But we didn’t have much time so we had to eat said yummy soup really fast and then run to meet the group, hot but worth it. Then the massive group of us tried to maneuver the metro system in the middle of the strike; yes it was that fun (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice?). We saw a group of French Jewish musicians playing songs in the station. They were quite good but they got “Hava Nagila” stuck in my head for days. Once out of the sardine can that we will call the metro, we arrived at the Musee d’Orsay. It was originally a railway station that was converted into a museum and it holds works of art from 1848-1914, done by people such as Degas, Monet, Manet, Pissarro, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec. I loved it all, but one of my fave works of art was here so I was really excited: Van Gogh’s “Le Nuit Etoilee, Arles.” And the ballet series by Degas was great to see also. But then I was art-ed out, so Kate and I went to walk around the city. We decided to go to the Eiffel Tower and take some day shots, because you need shots from day and night time, obvi. It was really funny because while taking photos I had a trilingual moment in France, and none of the languages were French. There was this couple taking photos and they asked me to take a photo and I said “si” and then they asked me in Spanish if I was Spanish, Mexican, or Italian. Then I explained in a combo of Spanish and Italian about myself and we all laughed. It was so funny and my brain hurt a bit, but we all got our photos taken in our respective languages. Walking around made me quite hungry and therefore it was only fitting that Kate and me eat some crepes! Neutella crepes are HEAVENLY! They were made warm and fresh right in front of us by this street vendor and made us incredibly happy. I want more. Now warm and delish inside, we walked to l’Arc du Triomphe. It was conceived by Napoleon in 1809 (and finished in 1836 under Louis Philippe) to celebrate the imperial armies and is the world’s largest triumphal arch. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located here and we were able to see the eternal flame ceremony that night. It is a very impressive arch, and very obvi conceived by someone who has competency issues. Yummy dinner with better deserts of chocolate mousse and crème brule. Sadly there was no going out after because we were way too cold and tired.
Sunday involved one more failed attempt to go to Versailles. And when that didn’t work out Katie and I decided to wander around Paris some more. So we spent some time trying to find the Latin Quarter, which was ok. It wasn’t that impressive, and not much was open because it was a Sunday morning. I think it’s one of those places that would have been better to see at night, who knows? I was also freezing so it didn’t help me enjoy walking around much. Then we walked down the Champs Elysees and saw the super classy and expensive stores there, such as the Louis Vuitton Building! As in it was a whole building! Oh and a nice French car place, took some photos of the cars I’d like, I’m sure my dad liked those. And I had to go into the Disney store, which was so nice I might add. They even had xmas tress up and a beautiful staircase. More walking and fighting our way through the metro mobs, which resulted in us finally getting back to our hotel and not getting lost. And then we got back on the bus for 18 hours and made our way back to Florence.
Every time I leave Florence I realize how much I love it here. Today is marks the countdown: ONLY ONE MONTH LEFT IN ITALY!! I really can’t believe this. NON CI CREDO. Time has gone by so fast and I don’t want by abroad time to end, even though I miss you all dearly. I’m def going to live it up this last month, despite all of the work that I have to do. Speaking of which, I should stop blogging and actually do some work, so this will be the end of this entry. Alla prosssima.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Holy Week
So the first week of being back at school after break has come and gone, and I have to say it’s great to be back in Florence and even in class! I know I am a nerd, we all know this, so it shouldn’t be that surprising that I was happy to be back. Also I came back to a lot of happiness. On Monday and Tuesday we got back out midterms and I did really well! I mean I feel I deserved it after all of the studying I did. Basically I got all A- on my midterms except for my art history, which was a solid A. Then I found out that I was nominated for the Coluccio Salutati Award. It’s an award that Syracuse Abroad gives to 5 students at the end of the term. Each teacher can nominate up to 3 students, and then all of the nominated students have to write a paper on our experience abroad and integration into Italian culture. So I have a little less than 2 weeks to figure out what to write about and turn it in. Then they’ll announce the winners and there will be an award dealy and such. I’m still trying to figure out what to write about, it’s me, so you know it’s stressing me out a bit. This experience really has affected me, just trying to figure out how and put it into words. I’m also really excited to be nominated, hurray for being smart. I’ll get back to you on how the essay and the contest are going.
I signed up to be a part of the student volunteer program where we go into Italian elementary schools and read stories to the kids in English. Me and my friend Evie ended up being partnered together for our first reading to the kids on Wednesday. It was so much fun! We read “Because A Little Bug Went Ka-Choo” by Rosetta Stone (really a book written by Dr. Seuss but because he didn’t do the illustrations it’s not under his real name) to 12 third-graders. It was really funny acting it out and teaching them English, and their English is so good for just starting-it’s because they’re freaking sponges! Also they were so cute - when they found out I was from California they thought I was a celebrity. This reading was seriously one of the most fun times I’ve had here. I can’t wait to go again.
This week for art history we had some really cool site visits. On Tuesday we went to the Baptistery in front of the Duomo. It is seriously one of the most important Medieval sites in Florence. And the mosaics on the ceilings! So great! It also holds a relic of St. John the Baptist inside, so I guess that makes it important as well. But I also had a looking assignment about this site, which meant I had to spend a lot of time staring at the mosaics on the ceiling, not like it was torture or anything. Haha, other than a bit of a crick in my neck, it was well worth it to stair at it for hours. Then on Thursday we went to the Church of Santa Croce, but I sadly forgot my camera, which means I will need to go back for photos. Let’s just put it this way, this church is like the who’s who of art. You have frescos by Giotto, Michelangelo is buried there (because the Florentines stole his body in the middle of the night, which is still cause for some tension in italy, but oh well), and so much more! Don’t worry, I’ll go back and get lots of photos.
And the highlight of the week was the weekend: 2 whole days in La Città Eterna, also know as Rome. Yes, this was my second trip to Rome, but my first one was only for 8 hours with Art History. Both trips were definitely necessary because you can’t see it all in just one trip. On Friday we headed out from Florence on the train to Rome. Funny story: there was a general strike in the transportation department in Italy on Friday. So there was only one train we could take because the strike started at 9am and we just made it. But when we got off the train in Rome and onto our private bus (thankfully they were not on strike) we ran into a mass demonstration and traffic congestion. Oh what a way to start the day. Once we made it through the congestion in the main part of the city, we headed to The Vatican! I cannot even express how excited I was to visit! First off gorgeous art and architecture, um lots of history, and I’m Catholic, need I say more? It was like everything I love all in one place. Another great aspect of the weekend, I had the two best tour guides leading us around! Not exaggerating they were the best I have lead me and I don’t think they can be topped. Our first guide was a rather young prof who used to work with Syracuse but now teaches at another university, let me just quote him and you will understand why I thought he was great: “Stick with me guys, and by the end of this trip, you’ll never loose another game of trivial pursuit again.” Exactly. The guy was baller. So he took us around the Vatican Museums talking about the different Ninja Turtles, I mean painters of history. Leonardo was an old man, Michelangelo was pissy and had the hormones of a women, and Rafael was a pimp. It makes more sense in context of the lecture. Then we saw the original marble Loacoon (the original bronze which it was based off of was destroyed) and it was just amazing!! I love this piece and it was also on my art history midterm, so I know a bit about it. Lots of frescos, more sculpture, and finally the Sistine Chapel! It was different that what I expected but still breath-taking. I saw the most famous ceiling in the world! It takes a while to sink in. Also, for those of you who ever wondered why the Sistine Chapel is shaped so funny, it’s actually an exact replica, pulled from the dimensions in the Bible, of the Temple of King Solomon. Then the trip got even better and more surreal: St. Peter’s Basilica!! This would be the grandest Christian church in the entire world, and while I believed this, I still wondered how could they make this statement. Granted St. Peter is buried under, and religiously this claim is true, but how can you back that up architecturally and with art? Um go inside and you’ll see that this claim holds true for a reason. I couldn’t even speak inside, so I have no idea how to describe it in words right now. I am just really happy that I was able to go for so many reasons. It is beautiful with so much history and it one of the two most important sites of Christians in the world, the other would be the old site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcure in Jerusalem (which is still on my to see list). Inside there is Michelangelo’s most famous Pietà and Bernini’s alter piece. The whole church is beautiful and I still can’t believe I was there. I definitely felt at piece and got some nice soul cleaning/pilgrim-aging done, thanks Catholicism. Afterwards we went to one more church, St. Peter in Chains. At this church is the famous statue of Moses with horns by Michelangelo, also the relic of the chains. Not quite sure of the real story of the chains, but I’ll look into it. Then we were free for the night. Checked into the hotel and went to dinner. Obvi since I was in Rome I had to have pasta carbonara, which is a traditional Roman dish. After dinner Ashley, Becca, Allie, Evan, and I did some exploring of the eternal city. Rome is so gorgeous all the time. We ended up at the Trevi Fountain, thinking that since it was nighttime that the tourists wouldn’t be there. Well we forgot that Friday night is a date night and that the Trevi Fountain at night it kind of romantic. So the answer was yes, lots of tourists, but less than there would have been if it were daytime. It was a great idea to go at night though because the lighting around the fountain was so beautiful, and quite understandable why there were so many couples there. I really liked the older couples, one of whom I took their photo in front of the fountain. They were just so cute and in love after so many years of marriage, that it gave me hope that marriage can last a lifetime. L’amore non capisco ma la vorrei. Then we threw coins into the fountain and made our wishes. Not going to say, or type, what they were because then it won’t come true. Then we decided that the night and day for that matter had been way too profound and deep, so we took silly pictures of us pretending to fall into the fountain. There was going to be gladiator photos, but it was way too cold to risk actually falling into the water and having to walk back to the hotel.
Then on Saturday was the ancient part of the trip. Today we were lead by Rocky who was the other half of the amazing tour guide team. I seriously want a job like his when I’m in grad school: research, ta, lead walking tours and talk about history in Italy. Seriously, I am considering this. Well we went to the Colosseum and he explained how the movie Gladiator has made his job so much easier. The history of ancient Rome and the parallelisms to modern USA is really scary, so when the exotic animals start arriving I’m getting out of there. Oh America, why must you be ignorant of history? Then we walked through the Roman Forum and got some more history fun facts, namely how the current problems in the middle east, specifically relating to Israel, all began with the Romans. Great, thanks guys, thanks for starting all of these problems back in the first century AD! Stupid men with swords! There were lots of triumphal arches, the remains of the Basilica of Constantine (which apparently the only time when it is appropriate now to use the word ‘awesome’), and the history of the founding of Rome. My favorite part was the lecture on Cesar and the general ridiculousness of his empire expansion. Then we walked down Capitoline Hill and saw a wedding getting started. After was the Pantheon again, except this time there was no rain. So I have now seen it in both weathers, but I have to say outside is better in the sun, and inside is better in the rain. I mean how many people can say they saw it rain in the Pantheon (there is a giant hole in the ceiling, called an oculus, and it does rain inside-really pretty)? Once we were done at the Pantheon, the guided part of the trip was over and we were free to go out on our own. So lunch and then back to Della Palma (the great gelato place with over 100 flavors that I promised to go back to). Then we just walked around the city, and visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which dwarfs the one in Arlington, Virginia. Afterwards we got back on a train and headed home to Florence. This weekend was amazing and I am looking forward to next weekend = PARIS, FRANCE! But now I have a bit of homework that needs to be taken care of. Alla prossima.
I signed up to be a part of the student volunteer program where we go into Italian elementary schools and read stories to the kids in English. Me and my friend Evie ended up being partnered together for our first reading to the kids on Wednesday. It was so much fun! We read “Because A Little Bug Went Ka-Choo” by Rosetta Stone (really a book written by Dr. Seuss but because he didn’t do the illustrations it’s not under his real name) to 12 third-graders. It was really funny acting it out and teaching them English, and their English is so good for just starting-it’s because they’re freaking sponges! Also they were so cute - when they found out I was from California they thought I was a celebrity. This reading was seriously one of the most fun times I’ve had here. I can’t wait to go again.
This week for art history we had some really cool site visits. On Tuesday we went to the Baptistery in front of the Duomo. It is seriously one of the most important Medieval sites in Florence. And the mosaics on the ceilings! So great! It also holds a relic of St. John the Baptist inside, so I guess that makes it important as well. But I also had a looking assignment about this site, which meant I had to spend a lot of time staring at the mosaics on the ceiling, not like it was torture or anything. Haha, other than a bit of a crick in my neck, it was well worth it to stair at it for hours. Then on Thursday we went to the Church of Santa Croce, but I sadly forgot my camera, which means I will need to go back for photos. Let’s just put it this way, this church is like the who’s who of art. You have frescos by Giotto, Michelangelo is buried there (because the Florentines stole his body in the middle of the night, which is still cause for some tension in italy, but oh well), and so much more! Don’t worry, I’ll go back and get lots of photos.
And the highlight of the week was the weekend: 2 whole days in La Città Eterna, also know as Rome. Yes, this was my second trip to Rome, but my first one was only for 8 hours with Art History. Both trips were definitely necessary because you can’t see it all in just one trip. On Friday we headed out from Florence on the train to Rome. Funny story: there was a general strike in the transportation department in Italy on Friday. So there was only one train we could take because the strike started at 9am and we just made it. But when we got off the train in Rome and onto our private bus (thankfully they were not on strike) we ran into a mass demonstration and traffic congestion. Oh what a way to start the day. Once we made it through the congestion in the main part of the city, we headed to The Vatican! I cannot even express how excited I was to visit! First off gorgeous art and architecture, um lots of history, and I’m Catholic, need I say more? It was like everything I love all in one place. Another great aspect of the weekend, I had the two best tour guides leading us around! Not exaggerating they were the best I have lead me and I don’t think they can be topped. Our first guide was a rather young prof who used to work with Syracuse but now teaches at another university, let me just quote him and you will understand why I thought he was great: “Stick with me guys, and by the end of this trip, you’ll never loose another game of trivial pursuit again.” Exactly. The guy was baller. So he took us around the Vatican Museums talking about the different Ninja Turtles, I mean painters of history. Leonardo was an old man, Michelangelo was pissy and had the hormones of a women, and Rafael was a pimp. It makes more sense in context of the lecture. Then we saw the original marble Loacoon (the original bronze which it was based off of was destroyed) and it was just amazing!! I love this piece and it was also on my art history midterm, so I know a bit about it. Lots of frescos, more sculpture, and finally the Sistine Chapel! It was different that what I expected but still breath-taking. I saw the most famous ceiling in the world! It takes a while to sink in. Also, for those of you who ever wondered why the Sistine Chapel is shaped so funny, it’s actually an exact replica, pulled from the dimensions in the Bible, of the Temple of King Solomon. Then the trip got even better and more surreal: St. Peter’s Basilica!! This would be the grandest Christian church in the entire world, and while I believed this, I still wondered how could they make this statement. Granted St. Peter is buried under, and religiously this claim is true, but how can you back that up architecturally and with art? Um go inside and you’ll see that this claim holds true for a reason. I couldn’t even speak inside, so I have no idea how to describe it in words right now. I am just really happy that I was able to go for so many reasons. It is beautiful with so much history and it one of the two most important sites of Christians in the world, the other would be the old site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcure in Jerusalem (which is still on my to see list). Inside there is Michelangelo’s most famous Pietà and Bernini’s alter piece. The whole church is beautiful and I still can’t believe I was there. I definitely felt at piece and got some nice soul cleaning/pilgrim-aging done, thanks Catholicism. Afterwards we went to one more church, St. Peter in Chains. At this church is the famous statue of Moses with horns by Michelangelo, also the relic of the chains. Not quite sure of the real story of the chains, but I’ll look into it. Then we were free for the night. Checked into the hotel and went to dinner. Obvi since I was in Rome I had to have pasta carbonara, which is a traditional Roman dish. After dinner Ashley, Becca, Allie, Evan, and I did some exploring of the eternal city. Rome is so gorgeous all the time. We ended up at the Trevi Fountain, thinking that since it was nighttime that the tourists wouldn’t be there. Well we forgot that Friday night is a date night and that the Trevi Fountain at night it kind of romantic. So the answer was yes, lots of tourists, but less than there would have been if it were daytime. It was a great idea to go at night though because the lighting around the fountain was so beautiful, and quite understandable why there were so many couples there. I really liked the older couples, one of whom I took their photo in front of the fountain. They were just so cute and in love after so many years of marriage, that it gave me hope that marriage can last a lifetime. L’amore non capisco ma la vorrei. Then we threw coins into the fountain and made our wishes. Not going to say, or type, what they were because then it won’t come true. Then we decided that the night and day for that matter had been way too profound and deep, so we took silly pictures of us pretending to fall into the fountain. There was going to be gladiator photos, but it was way too cold to risk actually falling into the water and having to walk back to the hotel.
Then on Saturday was the ancient part of the trip. Today we were lead by Rocky who was the other half of the amazing tour guide team. I seriously want a job like his when I’m in grad school: research, ta, lead walking tours and talk about history in Italy. Seriously, I am considering this. Well we went to the Colosseum and he explained how the movie Gladiator has made his job so much easier. The history of ancient Rome and the parallelisms to modern USA is really scary, so when the exotic animals start arriving I’m getting out of there. Oh America, why must you be ignorant of history? Then we walked through the Roman Forum and got some more history fun facts, namely how the current problems in the middle east, specifically relating to Israel, all began with the Romans. Great, thanks guys, thanks for starting all of these problems back in the first century AD! Stupid men with swords! There were lots of triumphal arches, the remains of the Basilica of Constantine (which apparently the only time when it is appropriate now to use the word ‘awesome’), and the history of the founding of Rome. My favorite part was the lecture on Cesar and the general ridiculousness of his empire expansion. Then we walked down Capitoline Hill and saw a wedding getting started. After was the Pantheon again, except this time there was no rain. So I have now seen it in both weathers, but I have to say outside is better in the sun, and inside is better in the rain. I mean how many people can say they saw it rain in the Pantheon (there is a giant hole in the ceiling, called an oculus, and it does rain inside-really pretty)? Once we were done at the Pantheon, the guided part of the trip was over and we were free to go out on our own. So lunch and then back to Della Palma (the great gelato place with over 100 flavors that I promised to go back to). Then we just walked around the city, and visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which dwarfs the one in Arlington, Virginia. Afterwards we got back on a train and headed home to Florence. This weekend was amazing and I am looking forward to next weekend = PARIS, FRANCE! But now I have a bit of homework that needs to be taken care of. Alla prossima.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Fall Break
I apologize for not updating the blog in a while, so I shall now write the longest one yet to make up for it. Midterms consumed a large part of my life up until break. They were killer, not for being uber hard, but for just being so time consuming. I mean all of the studying and for a test that takes less than 2 hours? Cruel isn’t it. But as a reward for getting through the first half of the semester and memorizing the titles and dates of papal bulls in Latin and way too much art I got fall break.
Friday, October 26th
Well it all started with a 445 am taxi ride from my house to the train station because no buses run at that time, lame. So I get to the train station to catch a special bus that will take me to the Florence Airport, and chill outside the gate and eat breakfast. I think I would have looked super sketchy if I did not look so nerdy (I was reading some of the Iliad while I waited for the place to open up). Then involved some running around in my kitten-heeled boots, which just resulted in me winding up in the same spot, I was earlier. So the bus depot finally opened and they said the bus I needed wasn’t going to get there in time for me to get on my plane. Right, not good. They flyers totally lied to me. So small bit of a panic because the airport is unwalkable, and I have only been there once, ie the day we flew in. But then as luck would have it there were two other students at he depot with the same problem as me. One was this younger girl who was from Santa Cruz and studying in London, and the other was this cute guy who’s in the NYU program in Florence. Me being the crafty one that I am took charge and decided that we should spit a cab. Thus we all made it to the airport in time to make all of our flights.
I arrived in Gatwick Airport and after a long time is customs and passport checking I made my way to the train station and rode to Brighton where I met Norm! Despite the muggy, semi-rainy ride, the English countryside looked amazing! I was also watching Pride and Prejudice on my computer and pretending I was in the movie as I traveled in England. So Norm and me went to Lewis and played in a castle that reminded me of one from Lord of the Rings. And because we’re basically 7 we lucked out and found a dress up room, meant for children but whatev. Which meant medieval photo shoot. Then her, her friend Mark, and I ate yummy traditional cornwall pasties and milkshakes.
I stayed at her flat while I was in Brighton/Sussex and met her flat mates. One of them was an American student named Christine who is really cool and she helped show me around England.
Saturday, October 27th
Norm, Christine, and I went with their school on a tour of the Sussex countryside. First we saw the chalk cliffs, which is wear they filmed a few scenes from the recent Pride and Prejudice with Kira Knightly. Then we went to another town that was a beach resort, very different yet similar to Coronado by San Diego. It reminded me of that quote from Austin Powers, “It’s remarkable how much the English countryside looks in no way like southern California.” Then we went to Pevensey Castle, which sis oh only 1,500 years old. And to honor this very old and historical site it was only fitting that we did cartwheels and unexpected piggyback rides. To class it up, afterwards we went to tea. It was a really cute place in a very nice garden. But I felt bad because I am just not a fan of tea. I did try a cup but I was more a fan of the scones. Scones with clotted cream and jam made my day. You think oh those things are jus tiny muffins, so prob. Yeah 2 scones equals a meal that makes you full for days. But they were so worth it.
Sunday, October 28th
Girls in any city and no school means one thing, shopping! So we headed to the local mall (which I miss because we do not have malls in Florence, or really in Italy at all). There were antics and fun to be had in the toy store and the Virgin Mega store. If I had any doubt to where I was, the toy store made sure I knew. Oh England, only you would have soccer team versions of Monopoly! Then the three of us went to a pub for fish and chips. Well they had fish and chips, but since I do not eat much fish, I had a potpie and chips (still very traditional). Then we tried Banofie pie! Seriously, if you ever have a chance to try it you should. It’s the pie that Kira Knightly is eating in Love Actually when she goes to the guy’s apartment to get the wedding tape. Yes we are nerds but it made us try it and it was so worth it.
Monday, October 29th
School was in session for them today, so it was a chill at the flat day. Catch up on sleep and movie trailers on apple.com. But there was a lovely bonding time over Wayne’s World (crazy Americanz).
Tuesday, October 30th
I left Brighton and headed off to Oxford. It was actually really simple, because I ended up taking a different train than I had planned on taking, and it went straight without any changing of trains. Hurray no connecting! So I met up with my friend Hilary and stayed with her in her flat. We then walked around Oxford’s center and saw some of the many colleges, and we were able to go in and see Exeter. Then we decided to climb Oxford’s Oldest Building-the Saxon Tower of St. Michael at North Gate. From outside it seriously didn’t look that bad. But to climb the sucker you have to go up this creaky wrapping stairs inside the tower and once I got higher than the bells I started to freak out a bit. But I did it! And the view at the top was great. We could see around the entire city and got to see the sun setting.
Later I met up with Maxwell and we went out for pub food. Let’s just say that my bread was the best part of my dinner. But after we explored some more of Oxford. I got to see the Pomona room and where they all were going to school. Then Maxwell and I tried to get into Christ’s Church but it was closed. So then we pretended to be juvenile delinquents and break into the gates. For those of you who do not know, the campus of Christ’s Church is where they film parts of the Harry Potter movies and have some nice rugby fields as well.
Wednesday, October 31st
Hilary and me took a day trip and went into London. It was weird to be back in the city so soon. I had traveled there about 4 years ago and I didn’t think I would be back to London so soon. We walked around and I took photos of all the theaters and went into musical theater heaven. So we decided to see a show, thank you discount ticket booth! We got tickets to see We Will Rock You (a musical set to the music of Queen). It was seriously great. On Halloween I saw a musical about rock and roll with a bunch of people in crazy costumes. Plus I knew most of the songs and rocked out in my seat. And the lead guy, named Galileo Figaro (haha Bohemian Rhapsody), was such a good singer and very cute. I also saw London’s replica of the Cheers bar (based on the tv show) but we didn’t have time to go in, so I just took a quick photo. When the show was over, Hil and I decided that no trip to London was complete without a stop at Harrods’s. Plus she had never been there before. I know it’s super touristy, but when I went before it was blast. So we walked around the huge store and got lost trying to find the ice cream place. But once we did I laughed because I didn’t remember it was a gelateria. I felt like I was home with all the workers there speaking Italian. Our server was hitting on Hilary and it was just like I was back in Italy. A great dinner, she had a malted milkshake and I had a banana split. Our server made fun of us and called us Americans, and then I sassed him in Italian. It was a very good Halloween. Plus we saw little kids in costumes around the store – super cute.
Thursday, November 1st
So this is the story you all have been waiting for you, and you were all right. I mean come on, it’s me and my life. Of course I have to have a ridiculous travel story-everything was going way too well for my won luck. So I got up really early and caught this special bus that took me from Oxford to Gatwick airport. So I get on the bus and try to pay my 18 pound like it said on the website. But the driver says it’s more and I didn’t have enough money. Well he drove one stop and then told me to get off and get some money from the atm., which I was glad about because I thought he was going to just kick me off the bus. So once that was all settles a slept because that’s what I like to do at 5 am. Then we arrived at Gatwick and I made my way to the terminal, only to discover there are 2 really big ones and I didn’t know which one I was supposed to be at. Upon realizing this I flagged down the first official looking person I saw and asked him where I was supposed to be. And of course it was the other terminal, which required me to get on a train to get to it. Now in the correct terminal, I make my way to the check in desk of my airline only to find out that my flight has been delayed, oh until…they were not sure yet. What?! Yes. They told me to check back in a few hours, which brought about a small panic attack. But then I decided why bother freaking out, and to just enjoy the time I had. So I treated myself to a nice sit down breakfast in the airport, and tried slow food. But it was breakfast and you really can’t drag that meal out too long without multiple coffees, which I don’t drink. Afterwards, I walked around the terminal for a few hours. Did the usual stuff, window shopped at the nine west shoe store, contemplated buying some duty free Hugo Boss fragrance, really just cause Jonathan Rice Myers was advertising it. Then came post card writing time and then book reading time. Honestly I just wanted to sleep but I was too afraid to cause I was alone. After more time had passed, I tried again and was finally able to check in. But that took forever, as well as security, because it’s London, and I was going to Spain, which apparently means I need extra screening? Seriously people, how threatening do I really look? I’m a sleep deprived college kid on vacation, just let me get on the plane. And at this point marks the beginning of my brain hurting due to the use of 3 languages.
After I do not want to think about how many hours I got on the plane and I was ready to just get out of there. And then my heart broke when I heard that due to heavy congestion, we’re just going to have to chill in the plane for another 30 to 45 minutes before we can actually take off. Thankfully, I bought the latest COSMO and distracted myself in the glory that is COSMO (which I truly appreciate now that I have been without it, Calli you win). But on a bright note, I now know the safety measures for plane travel in three languages. Well we finally land in Spain and I think, great. My ridic story is over. And as if on cue, God goes, OH NO, NOT SO FAST.
Well I get off the plane and into the terminal where I almost gag. Apparently there are smoking sections of the Madrid Airport and I came out right into it. So gross. Next up, find the metro to get to Iris. Seems simple enough. I mean, I can read the signs in Spanish, I understand what people are saying, and am only fumbling my words a bit, speaking Spaniano (Spanish and Italian). I’m trying to find an atm to get euro to get a ticket so I can get on the metro. But the atm that accepts my visa and non-Spain card, is broken. So I have to go to another terminal and once again, huge airports. Finally find atm and get cash, but am so turned around that I don’t know where I am. Which begets me having to find information people and ask where I am and how to get to the metro. Well I finally get to the metro, and get all my ticket stuff taken care of and get on the train. I do a pretty good job of getting to Avenida de America without getting turned around too much, and then set out to find Iris at the station. Well the station is multi leveled and I wasn’t quite sure where to meet her. The main problem was I had her wrong number and she didn’t get the message that my flight was delayed, so we’re quite off on our meeting times. Needless to say, I’m freaking out cause I have no idea where I am or she is and I wander around the station for about an hour and a half. To make a long story short, we eventually get in touch with each other and I make my way to her apartment. This was seriously the most ridiculous travel day of my life! From there we chill at her apartment and rest until Kayla comes in later that night.
Friday, November 2nd
The three of us head out to get some culture, so we decided to go to the Reina Sofia. The lines to get into the museum were so long because it was discounted at some and free at others. And as we are waiting in line this news crew comes up and starts interviewing these ladies in front of us. They were visiting from Portugal and he was just asking them questions, and then guess what? He asks if he can interview us! So Iris mainly talks in Spanish about what the painting Guernica is about, and she sounded awesome for the record. Then he asked me how I liked Madrid, and I said how it was very different from Italy and what I liked about it. I think I spoke mostly in Spanish, I know I did fumble a bit in my prepositions, but oh well. It was really cool to be on the news, but we didn’t get to see it on air cause we missed it. I enjoyed seeing the museum thought. Lots of cool works like Picasso’s Gernica, La Bouteille d’Anis by Juan Gris, and Dali’s El Gran Masturbador. So much art and so little time. We had some delicious Cuban food for lunch. I know Cuban food in Spain? But it was worth it and it inspired us for something we did tomorrow. Then we went to the Royal Palace of Madrid and wished we were rich and lived there. I’d have to say the best part was naming the rooms that we went though. They were so lavish and over the top it was ridiculous.
For dinner that night it was tapa night. So all of us students from all over the globe, made lots of tapas. I swear I felt like I was in the movie L’Auberge Espagnole. We had so many different people there and so many languages going on, like Spanish, French, Italian, German, on and a bit of English as well, lol. Well making tapas was so fun, even though me and one of the guys were chopping potatoes while on our knees in the entry room (yeah Iris I brought it up again). Then all of us ate and watched youtube. Amazing and mature of us. Despues, we went to a club/bar thing. Yes, my first club/bar thingy!! But it was crowded and kind of a bust, but now I can say I have gone.
Saturday, November 3rd
So because the lines were so long, we didn’t make it to all of the museums we wanted to go to the other day. We woke up early and made a big old picnic lunch, and went to the Prado to stand in line. It was seriously a smart idea because we were in a huge line and having our food kept us from buying from those savvy venders. The Prado had so many exhibits that I was just overwhelmed. We saw the famous works from Goya, El Greco, Rubens, Rembrandt, and so many more. I won’t bother to name all the works I saw, but they were great and I’m glad we had a trusty handheld guide. Some shopping, which brought about me finally getting my very own Spanish National Team Soccer Jersey, personalized with Torres’ name and number on it. Goal met!
And then, heaven. We made fried plantains! Thank you Cuban restaurant. But then we rolled ours in cinnamon and sugar, and had some gelato and nutella as well. Oh so fat and so much eating of our feelings, but so worth it. Then we did the other thing I knew I had to do before I left Spain, SNAGRIA. It was good, but sad to say had not actual fruit pieces in it and wasn’t really that that good. But hey I did it, and that’s all that counts. After we went to some clubs, but I was a bit of a downer cause I just can’t function with all of that smoke and in hot non-ventilated rooms. I just hate smoke and I reeked of it. We caught the partita on the tv: Real Madrid v. Sevilla. It was cool to be around all the fans, but sadly Madrid lost.
Sunday, November 4th
Last day of break, and so tired. We went to a huge outdoor market and walked around for a while. We ended up buying the soccer scarves for our teams. Iris and Kayla bought Atletico Madrid ones because they went to the game Sunday night. Sadly I had already booked my flight and I wasn’t able to go. Instead I bought myself a Spanish National Team scarf to match my jersey, so I’m set for games from now on. I still need to get them for Italy as well, it’s all on my to do list. After the market I headed out on the train and made my way to the airport. I was quite proud that I made it from the apartment to the airport without getting lost. Hey it was a big accomplishment for me. Then it was just getting on a plane and getting back home to Italy.
I truly enjoyed traveling around and thanks to all of you who hosted me and let me stay with you. I am truly thankful for you showing me around and I had a blast! This break really taught me that I am fine on my own, and despite certain setbacks, things work out in the end: this is my new life motto. Yes it’s worrisome and stressful or scary at times, but the memories made make it all worth it.
I also learned that I made the right choice in studying in Italy. As great as all the other places have been, Italy has become my second home. I began to miss it while I was visiting other places, and just the way of life here. It was very nice to hear Italian being spoken when I got off the last plane, like that relief you get when you hear familiar voices.
Also, now know that my brain can function in 3 languages, and am ready to go back to school and take Italian and Spanish at the same time. It was frustrating to know the word in one language and not the other, so I really just want to get better at both of them. Plus they both came in really handy while I was traveling.
School is back in session and that means, more school trips! This weekend is the longer trip to Rome. We’re going to the more famous sites this time, like the Coliseum, and wait for it…The Vatican! You know I am excited for this trip. Well I would be more excited if I was going into the Vatican Archives (which is my life’s goal), but I’m saving that for another trip. Alla Prossima.
Friday, October 26th
Well it all started with a 445 am taxi ride from my house to the train station because no buses run at that time, lame. So I get to the train station to catch a special bus that will take me to the Florence Airport, and chill outside the gate and eat breakfast. I think I would have looked super sketchy if I did not look so nerdy (I was reading some of the Iliad while I waited for the place to open up). Then involved some running around in my kitten-heeled boots, which just resulted in me winding up in the same spot, I was earlier. So the bus depot finally opened and they said the bus I needed wasn’t going to get there in time for me to get on my plane. Right, not good. They flyers totally lied to me. So small bit of a panic because the airport is unwalkable, and I have only been there once, ie the day we flew in. But then as luck would have it there were two other students at he depot with the same problem as me. One was this younger girl who was from Santa Cruz and studying in London, and the other was this cute guy who’s in the NYU program in Florence. Me being the crafty one that I am took charge and decided that we should spit a cab. Thus we all made it to the airport in time to make all of our flights.
I arrived in Gatwick Airport and after a long time is customs and passport checking I made my way to the train station and rode to Brighton where I met Norm! Despite the muggy, semi-rainy ride, the English countryside looked amazing! I was also watching Pride and Prejudice on my computer and pretending I was in the movie as I traveled in England. So Norm and me went to Lewis and played in a castle that reminded me of one from Lord of the Rings. And because we’re basically 7 we lucked out and found a dress up room, meant for children but whatev. Which meant medieval photo shoot. Then her, her friend Mark, and I ate yummy traditional cornwall pasties and milkshakes.
I stayed at her flat while I was in Brighton/Sussex and met her flat mates. One of them was an American student named Christine who is really cool and she helped show me around England.
Saturday, October 27th
Norm, Christine, and I went with their school on a tour of the Sussex countryside. First we saw the chalk cliffs, which is wear they filmed a few scenes from the recent Pride and Prejudice with Kira Knightly. Then we went to another town that was a beach resort, very different yet similar to Coronado by San Diego. It reminded me of that quote from Austin Powers, “It’s remarkable how much the English countryside looks in no way like southern California.” Then we went to Pevensey Castle, which sis oh only 1,500 years old. And to honor this very old and historical site it was only fitting that we did cartwheels and unexpected piggyback rides. To class it up, afterwards we went to tea. It was a really cute place in a very nice garden. But I felt bad because I am just not a fan of tea. I did try a cup but I was more a fan of the scones. Scones with clotted cream and jam made my day. You think oh those things are jus tiny muffins, so prob. Yeah 2 scones equals a meal that makes you full for days. But they were so worth it.
Sunday, October 28th
Girls in any city and no school means one thing, shopping! So we headed to the local mall (which I miss because we do not have malls in Florence, or really in Italy at all). There were antics and fun to be had in the toy store and the Virgin Mega store. If I had any doubt to where I was, the toy store made sure I knew. Oh England, only you would have soccer team versions of Monopoly! Then the three of us went to a pub for fish and chips. Well they had fish and chips, but since I do not eat much fish, I had a potpie and chips (still very traditional). Then we tried Banofie pie! Seriously, if you ever have a chance to try it you should. It’s the pie that Kira Knightly is eating in Love Actually when she goes to the guy’s apartment to get the wedding tape. Yes we are nerds but it made us try it and it was so worth it.
Monday, October 29th
School was in session for them today, so it was a chill at the flat day. Catch up on sleep and movie trailers on apple.com. But there was a lovely bonding time over Wayne’s World (crazy Americanz).
Tuesday, October 30th
I left Brighton and headed off to Oxford. It was actually really simple, because I ended up taking a different train than I had planned on taking, and it went straight without any changing of trains. Hurray no connecting! So I met up with my friend Hilary and stayed with her in her flat. We then walked around Oxford’s center and saw some of the many colleges, and we were able to go in and see Exeter. Then we decided to climb Oxford’s Oldest Building-the Saxon Tower of St. Michael at North Gate. From outside it seriously didn’t look that bad. But to climb the sucker you have to go up this creaky wrapping stairs inside the tower and once I got higher than the bells I started to freak out a bit. But I did it! And the view at the top was great. We could see around the entire city and got to see the sun setting.
Later I met up with Maxwell and we went out for pub food. Let’s just say that my bread was the best part of my dinner. But after we explored some more of Oxford. I got to see the Pomona room and where they all were going to school. Then Maxwell and I tried to get into Christ’s Church but it was closed. So then we pretended to be juvenile delinquents and break into the gates. For those of you who do not know, the campus of Christ’s Church is where they film parts of the Harry Potter movies and have some nice rugby fields as well.
Wednesday, October 31st
Hilary and me took a day trip and went into London. It was weird to be back in the city so soon. I had traveled there about 4 years ago and I didn’t think I would be back to London so soon. We walked around and I took photos of all the theaters and went into musical theater heaven. So we decided to see a show, thank you discount ticket booth! We got tickets to see We Will Rock You (a musical set to the music of Queen). It was seriously great. On Halloween I saw a musical about rock and roll with a bunch of people in crazy costumes. Plus I knew most of the songs and rocked out in my seat. And the lead guy, named Galileo Figaro (haha Bohemian Rhapsody), was such a good singer and very cute. I also saw London’s replica of the Cheers bar (based on the tv show) but we didn’t have time to go in, so I just took a quick photo. When the show was over, Hil and I decided that no trip to London was complete without a stop at Harrods’s. Plus she had never been there before. I know it’s super touristy, but when I went before it was blast. So we walked around the huge store and got lost trying to find the ice cream place. But once we did I laughed because I didn’t remember it was a gelateria. I felt like I was home with all the workers there speaking Italian. Our server was hitting on Hilary and it was just like I was back in Italy. A great dinner, she had a malted milkshake and I had a banana split. Our server made fun of us and called us Americans, and then I sassed him in Italian. It was a very good Halloween. Plus we saw little kids in costumes around the store – super cute.
Thursday, November 1st
So this is the story you all have been waiting for you, and you were all right. I mean come on, it’s me and my life. Of course I have to have a ridiculous travel story-everything was going way too well for my won luck. So I got up really early and caught this special bus that took me from Oxford to Gatwick airport. So I get on the bus and try to pay my 18 pound like it said on the website. But the driver says it’s more and I didn’t have enough money. Well he drove one stop and then told me to get off and get some money from the atm., which I was glad about because I thought he was going to just kick me off the bus. So once that was all settles a slept because that’s what I like to do at 5 am. Then we arrived at Gatwick and I made my way to the terminal, only to discover there are 2 really big ones and I didn’t know which one I was supposed to be at. Upon realizing this I flagged down the first official looking person I saw and asked him where I was supposed to be. And of course it was the other terminal, which required me to get on a train to get to it. Now in the correct terminal, I make my way to the check in desk of my airline only to find out that my flight has been delayed, oh until…they were not sure yet. What?! Yes. They told me to check back in a few hours, which brought about a small panic attack. But then I decided why bother freaking out, and to just enjoy the time I had. So I treated myself to a nice sit down breakfast in the airport, and tried slow food. But it was breakfast and you really can’t drag that meal out too long without multiple coffees, which I don’t drink. Afterwards, I walked around the terminal for a few hours. Did the usual stuff, window shopped at the nine west shoe store, contemplated buying some duty free Hugo Boss fragrance, really just cause Jonathan Rice Myers was advertising it. Then came post card writing time and then book reading time. Honestly I just wanted to sleep but I was too afraid to cause I was alone. After more time had passed, I tried again and was finally able to check in. But that took forever, as well as security, because it’s London, and I was going to Spain, which apparently means I need extra screening? Seriously people, how threatening do I really look? I’m a sleep deprived college kid on vacation, just let me get on the plane. And at this point marks the beginning of my brain hurting due to the use of 3 languages.
After I do not want to think about how many hours I got on the plane and I was ready to just get out of there. And then my heart broke when I heard that due to heavy congestion, we’re just going to have to chill in the plane for another 30 to 45 minutes before we can actually take off. Thankfully, I bought the latest COSMO and distracted myself in the glory that is COSMO (which I truly appreciate now that I have been without it, Calli you win). But on a bright note, I now know the safety measures for plane travel in three languages. Well we finally land in Spain and I think, great. My ridic story is over. And as if on cue, God goes, OH NO, NOT SO FAST.
Well I get off the plane and into the terminal where I almost gag. Apparently there are smoking sections of the Madrid Airport and I came out right into it. So gross. Next up, find the metro to get to Iris. Seems simple enough. I mean, I can read the signs in Spanish, I understand what people are saying, and am only fumbling my words a bit, speaking Spaniano (Spanish and Italian). I’m trying to find an atm to get euro to get a ticket so I can get on the metro. But the atm that accepts my visa and non-Spain card, is broken. So I have to go to another terminal and once again, huge airports. Finally find atm and get cash, but am so turned around that I don’t know where I am. Which begets me having to find information people and ask where I am and how to get to the metro. Well I finally get to the metro, and get all my ticket stuff taken care of and get on the train. I do a pretty good job of getting to Avenida de America without getting turned around too much, and then set out to find Iris at the station. Well the station is multi leveled and I wasn’t quite sure where to meet her. The main problem was I had her wrong number and she didn’t get the message that my flight was delayed, so we’re quite off on our meeting times. Needless to say, I’m freaking out cause I have no idea where I am or she is and I wander around the station for about an hour and a half. To make a long story short, we eventually get in touch with each other and I make my way to her apartment. This was seriously the most ridiculous travel day of my life! From there we chill at her apartment and rest until Kayla comes in later that night.
Friday, November 2nd
The three of us head out to get some culture, so we decided to go to the Reina Sofia. The lines to get into the museum were so long because it was discounted at some and free at others. And as we are waiting in line this news crew comes up and starts interviewing these ladies in front of us. They were visiting from Portugal and he was just asking them questions, and then guess what? He asks if he can interview us! So Iris mainly talks in Spanish about what the painting Guernica is about, and she sounded awesome for the record. Then he asked me how I liked Madrid, and I said how it was very different from Italy and what I liked about it. I think I spoke mostly in Spanish, I know I did fumble a bit in my prepositions, but oh well. It was really cool to be on the news, but we didn’t get to see it on air cause we missed it. I enjoyed seeing the museum thought. Lots of cool works like Picasso’s Gernica, La Bouteille d’Anis by Juan Gris, and Dali’s El Gran Masturbador. So much art and so little time. We had some delicious Cuban food for lunch. I know Cuban food in Spain? But it was worth it and it inspired us for something we did tomorrow. Then we went to the Royal Palace of Madrid and wished we were rich and lived there. I’d have to say the best part was naming the rooms that we went though. They were so lavish and over the top it was ridiculous.
For dinner that night it was tapa night. So all of us students from all over the globe, made lots of tapas. I swear I felt like I was in the movie L’Auberge Espagnole. We had so many different people there and so many languages going on, like Spanish, French, Italian, German, on and a bit of English as well, lol. Well making tapas was so fun, even though me and one of the guys were chopping potatoes while on our knees in the entry room (yeah Iris I brought it up again). Then all of us ate and watched youtube. Amazing and mature of us. Despues, we went to a club/bar thing. Yes, my first club/bar thingy!! But it was crowded and kind of a bust, but now I can say I have gone.
Saturday, November 3rd
So because the lines were so long, we didn’t make it to all of the museums we wanted to go to the other day. We woke up early and made a big old picnic lunch, and went to the Prado to stand in line. It was seriously a smart idea because we were in a huge line and having our food kept us from buying from those savvy venders. The Prado had so many exhibits that I was just overwhelmed. We saw the famous works from Goya, El Greco, Rubens, Rembrandt, and so many more. I won’t bother to name all the works I saw, but they were great and I’m glad we had a trusty handheld guide. Some shopping, which brought about me finally getting my very own Spanish National Team Soccer Jersey, personalized with Torres’ name and number on it. Goal met!
And then, heaven. We made fried plantains! Thank you Cuban restaurant. But then we rolled ours in cinnamon and sugar, and had some gelato and nutella as well. Oh so fat and so much eating of our feelings, but so worth it. Then we did the other thing I knew I had to do before I left Spain, SNAGRIA. It was good, but sad to say had not actual fruit pieces in it and wasn’t really that that good. But hey I did it, and that’s all that counts. After we went to some clubs, but I was a bit of a downer cause I just can’t function with all of that smoke and in hot non-ventilated rooms. I just hate smoke and I reeked of it. We caught the partita on the tv: Real Madrid v. Sevilla. It was cool to be around all the fans, but sadly Madrid lost.
Sunday, November 4th
Last day of break, and so tired. We went to a huge outdoor market and walked around for a while. We ended up buying the soccer scarves for our teams. Iris and Kayla bought Atletico Madrid ones because they went to the game Sunday night. Sadly I had already booked my flight and I wasn’t able to go. Instead I bought myself a Spanish National Team scarf to match my jersey, so I’m set for games from now on. I still need to get them for Italy as well, it’s all on my to do list. After the market I headed out on the train and made my way to the airport. I was quite proud that I made it from the apartment to the airport without getting lost. Hey it was a big accomplishment for me. Then it was just getting on a plane and getting back home to Italy.
I truly enjoyed traveling around and thanks to all of you who hosted me and let me stay with you. I am truly thankful for you showing me around and I had a blast! This break really taught me that I am fine on my own, and despite certain setbacks, things work out in the end: this is my new life motto. Yes it’s worrisome and stressful or scary at times, but the memories made make it all worth it.
I also learned that I made the right choice in studying in Italy. As great as all the other places have been, Italy has become my second home. I began to miss it while I was visiting other places, and just the way of life here. It was very nice to hear Italian being spoken when I got off the last plane, like that relief you get when you hear familiar voices.
Also, now know that my brain can function in 3 languages, and am ready to go back to school and take Italian and Spanish at the same time. It was frustrating to know the word in one language and not the other, so I really just want to get better at both of them. Plus they both came in really handy while I was traveling.
School is back in session and that means, more school trips! This weekend is the longer trip to Rome. We’re going to the more famous sites this time, like the Coliseum, and wait for it…The Vatican! You know I am excited for this trip. Well I would be more excited if I was going into the Vatican Archives (which is my life’s goal), but I’m saving that for another trip. Alla Prossima.
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